There are many instances in which it is desirable to join fabric pieces together by way of a seam such that the right or front sides of the joined fabric pieces face the same way, and the wrong or back sides face the same way. In these instances, the seam allowances or edges along which the seam was formed appear only from the back side. This is typical where, for example, piecework is done to form quilts, quilt covers, decorative pillows, wall hangings, portions of clothing such as vest backs, and the like.
Methods for sewing together pieces of fabric or cloth to create a larger, attractively designed fabric piecework composed of the smaller pieces can involve a greater deal of work. In larger works such as quilts, particularly “watercolor quilts” made of small fabric squares pieced and sewn to create the look of a painting, there can be literally hundreds of pieces which require cutting and placing. Even with great care, the small pieces may be cut with slight variations, and seams must be pinned and perhaps re-pinned many times before the look is complete.
Using current techniques, once the pieces are cut they are sewn together, one piece to another. It requires great care to see that the pieces fit together correctly, because slight errors in seam allowances or measurements tend to throw off the positioning of neighboring pieces and can have a detrimental effect on the overall appearance and size of the finished product. When sewing pieces together, one generally does not have any drawn line to sew over; it is simply a matter of skill and judgment to see that the seams are sewn straight, and are the proper distance from the edges of the fabric pieces.
Hence, one of the most tedious aspects of creating a large piecework such as a watercolor quilt is the placement and sewing of the individual pieces. Use of a textile, often called a stabilizer or foundation may be used, upon which the individual fabric pieces are sewn. Fusible stabilizers are not advantageous, however, because they have a bias stretch to one side. In large pieceworks, this results in a flawed piecework having curved seams. Fusible stabilizers also leave bulk in the seam allowances.
Moreover, current stabilizer products do not have a grid or pattern drawn or imprinted upon them, so that placing and sewing pieces still requires much tedious work. Thus, there remains a need for an improved stabilizer and method of using it that would allow for a faster piecework method, and provide for a better piecework product.